Labour Party Leader Ivana Bacik TD speech - Motion of No Confidence in Government

Ceann Comhairle,

Labour has no confidence in this Government.

This Government has failed to tackle the Cost of Living crisis.

Its members show a total disregard for the increasing pressures facing households and businesses.

The Labour Party warned in March when the first Two hundred and fifty million Euro  package was announced that workers and families would continue to face mounting cost burdens.

We warned that Government needed to adopt robust policies on renewable energy, transport costs and remote working.

The events of last week, and the support from the public for the aims of the protests, was not just about fuel prices.

But the Government patently failed to recognise this.

Why are so many people across the country angry with this Government?

It’s about energy bills, yes.

 

But it’s also about exorbitant rents and mortgage costs, about house prices, childcare, education and healthcare costs, waiting lists and more.

It’s about a budget last October that did nothing for working people.

It’s about a housing crisis that is only getting worse as more and more young adults choose to leave this country because they see no future here.

It’s about the thousands stuck on waiting lists for treatment, therapies and assessments of needs.

It’s about a lack of special education supports for children with additional needs.

And so much more. 

Last week Labour recognised the deep distress and frustration felt by so many.

We called on the Government last Wednesday morning to engage urgently with representative groups to ensure a resolution.

We called at the same time for the lifting of blockades - in order to limit the worst of disruption to families, lives and businesses.

To ensure fuel reached those who needed it, while respecting the right to peaceful protest.

But instead we watched all week in mounting dismay as Ministers of this Government went out on the airwaves and poured petrol on the flames of anger.

Instead of de-escalating, they inflamed the situation.

The meeting held on Friday afternoon could and should have been held sooner.

The Government could and should have acted more swiftly to address the real and genuine concerns of so many.

 

Labour has no confidence in this Government.

The Government’s actions over the last week alone have shown that it is incapable of handling crisis situations.

This Government is worn out, tired out and zoned out from the reality of people’s lives.

After too many years in office, they just didn’t get the message.

In the week before Easter, the message should have been received loud and clear about the growing fuel crisis resulting from Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal warmongering in Iran and Lebanon.

But Government leaders were more focused then on talking about tax cuts for the rich.

In the week when grocery inflation was reported at over 6 per cent, the Tánaiste was on a media blitz for his new investment savings scheme.

While 320,000 households are in arrears on their electricity bills, the Taoiseach was ruminating on inheritance tax cuts in the next Budget.

That’s where the Government’s priority was.

Totally out of touch with the cost of living crisis affecting hard working families and struggling households.

As protests began on Tuesday, there followed a week of dithering, confusion and mixed messages.

Bombastic statements were issued by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste on Wednesday night.

But with no real follow through.

On Thursday morning the Justice Minister ratcheted up the tension by announcing that the assistance of the Defence Forces had been requested.

In his rush to get on the airwaves, it appears he neglected to consult with the Minister for Defence.

His intervention inflamed the situation and helped to swell protest numbers.

Not to be outdone of course, the Minister for Media announced yesterday that he wants Coimisiún na Meán to investigate  media coverage of the protests.

Goodbye Victor Orban, hello Patrick O’Donovan.

At best, one could hope it was a cynical attempt to distract from a disastrous week for the government.

At worst, it is a Minister resorting to sinister threats against the national broadcaster because it was doing its job of reporting with truth and accuracy on events around the country.

Yet as bad as last week was, the real crisis has yet to properly hit us.

The International Energy Agency has been warning for weeks that the world faces the most severe energy crisis ever recorded.

The supply shock has yet to properly hit Ireland or Europe.

So Taoiseach, where is our national fuel security plan?

The crisis of last week shows a shocking unpreparedness if we end up facing a fuel rationing situation.

The Labour Party have no confidence in this Government to bring forward the radical proposals that need to be introduced, like the IEA has advised.

Proposals that Labour has made - for remote working, making public transport free, and taking serious measures to reduce fuel use.

Ireland needs dramatic action now to invest in renewable energy, retrofitting, solar and wind installation.

To deliver real alternatives.

To reduce energy costs, curb emissions and tackle the climate crisis.

This is another reason why Labour has no confidence in this administration.

Because by its deeds and actions it has shown itself to be the most conservative and ideologically right-wing Government in a generation.

It has rowed back on climate action commitments.

It has arrogantly dismissed and consistently voted down constructive proposals from Labour and others in Opposition on housing action, workers’ rights and the cost of living.

You stopped sick pay increases and rowed back on a living wage.

You voted down our Bill on the right to remote work.

You sneer at calls for stronger State action on housing through a state construction company.

Taoiseach, the Budget last October provided no relief for working people.

It failed to index income taxes.

It also removed vital once off supports such as energy credits and a cost of disability payment.

At the same time over a Billion Euro was committed to untargeted VAT cuts for construction and hospitality – Big Builders and Burger Barons.

The value of those VAT cuts will be washed away in the inflation to hit Ireland over the next six months.

The price of construction of a house is already reported to have increased by twenty five to thirty thousand euro.

The VAT cut on hospitality was never going to be passed on anyway.

The money would be better spent on targeted supports for those most at risk now of fuel and energy poverty - with energy credits of at least four hundred Euro.

Taoiseach, this Government cannot be trusted anymore to manage the public finances with a six hundred million Euro deficit already forecast for the Department of Education.

You’ve managed to spend nearly a Billion on fuel supports without any new measure this week to address energy poverty.

Or to address the near two hundred million Euro of arrears on household gas and electricity bills.

As our Labour Finance spokesperson, Ged Nash, has said, the measures announced on Sunday are designed to placate sectoral interests.

You have effectively abandoned PAYE workers.

Low and middle-income earners who have no option other than to pay their tax – but whose pay packets that are under increasing pressure.

From rising energy bills, skyrocketing grocery prices and escalating housing costs.

We need substantive engagement from Government at the upcoming LEEF talks.

And Labour will strongly support the trade unions in seeking pay rises for hard-pressed workers.

So as I move to conclude Ceann Comhairle,

We all know who caused the fuel crisis.

Yet this Government has failed to condemn the illegal war launched by Trump and Netanyahu.

We know that our economy, our energy security is threatened because of the actions of the US and Israel.

So we say the Government must now call in the US Ambassador to challenge them on their illegal war, their threats to wipe out a civilisation, and their ongoing blockade of ships.

We must recognise the United States is not acting like a friend anymore.

The fuel protests are the fault of the US and Israel’s war on Iran.

And the Government must press the EU to sanction Israel as it seeks to conquer southern Lebanon.

As it erases villages from the map, continues to colonise the West Bank and destroy Gaza; and entrenches its system of apartheid.

When will the EU act to end our Trade agreement with Israel?

And when will your Government pass the Occupied Territories Bill that you committed to in the General Election, but then walked away from once office was secured?

Why not send America and Israel a real message – pass the Occupied Territories Bill, and work with Spain and others to force the EU to suspend the Israel Trade agreement?

But we know you won’t.

Because your Government lacks the courage to do so.

Your Government is deeply conservative.

It has no solutions for PAYE workers, struggling households and hard -pressed families.

And so Labour has no confidence in this Government.